Company's CEO says tome isn't meant to malign Hispanic history

Price list for "Mexican American Heritage" sent by Cynthia Dunbar, CEO of Momentum Instrustion, to Houstonian Teacher Lupe Mendez.

Price list for "Mexican American Heritage" sent by Cynthia Dunbar,...

The woman whose company has put out a controversial "Mexican American Heritage" textbook says it is "not careless and is certainly not racist."

In an interview with the Houston Chronicle on Tuesday, Cynthia Dunbar said she was saddened by the criticism and defended the work, saying "the last thing in the world that we want this book to do is to promote any kind of negative impression of Mexican-Americans."

Lupe Mendez talks about issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies, Pointing to the photo chosen to head the bookÂ´s chapter about the American Independence where Mexican American are not represented. Monday, July 18, 2016, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle ) less

Lupe Mendez talks about issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies, Pointing to the photo chosen to head the bookÂ´s chapter about the American Independence where Mexican ... more

Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Staff

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Lupe Mendez talks about his issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies on Monday, July 18, 2016, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle )

Lupe Mendez talks about his issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies on Monday, July 18, 2016, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle )

Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Staff

Image 8 of 8

Lupe Mendez talks about his issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies on Monday, July 18, 2016, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle )

Lupe Mendez talks about his issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies on Monday, July 18, 2016, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle )

Mendez found out about the price after contacting Dunbar, who is CEO of Virginia-based Momentum Instruction and a former member of the Texas State Board of Education. Mendez and Dunbar traded a series of emails, later obtained by the Chronicle.

Dunbar told the Chronicle that "the book is not technically for sale yet. People can get review copies."

But in the emails, Dunbar told Mendez that he can get copies right away, including a classroom set for 25 students priced at $1,650.

"The final version is not completed," she said. "People can buy it in advance, I suppose, if they wanted it."

'Exploiting a narrative'

Dunbar said that her company is working with experts to clarify or fix anything that needs to be changed, so as to put out a "most excellent book."

Photo: Elizabeth Conley, Staff

Lupe Mendez talks about his issues with a controversial textbook proposed for Mexican American studies on Monday, July 18, 2016, in Houston. ( Elizabeth Conley / Houston Chronicle )

Lupe Mendez talks about his issues with a controversial textbook...

Mendez criticized Dunbar for not using experts who specialize in Mexican-American history. "She is just seeking to make money on the backs of Mexican-Americans, exploiting a narrative that is not her own," he said.

Dunbar, a Christian conservative who opposes teaching evolution, was elected to the board in 2006. In 2008, while serving on the board, she published the book "One Nation Under God." In it, she described public education as "tyrannical" and said that sending children to public schools is like "throwing them into the enemy's flames, even as the children of Israel threw their children to Moloch."

"Mexican American Heritage" has generated national attention for what critics describe as a flawed and offensive book, which depicts Mexican-Americans as violent and lazy people.

Dunbar told Mendez, via email, that Momentum is also working on a textbook about African-American history.

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Agustin Loredo, vice president of the Goose Creek CISD board of trustees, said he found out by communicating with Dunbar that the company also has a book about women in history planned for release by the end of next year.

Mendez and Loredo are Houston members of a coalition reviewing the Mexican American Heritage textbook. The coalition aims to have a detailed report before September, when the SBOE has a scheduled meeting.

The board will hear recommendations from experts and the public before taking a final vote in November, though one board member last week tearfully asked colleagues to reject the textbook. Erika Beltran, a Democratic member from Fort Worth, cited the impact on Hispanic students should they be exposed to the language that appears in the book.

One of the most cited passages describes Chicanos' role during the civil rights movement as people who "adopted a revolutionary narrative that opposed Western civilization and wanted to destroy this society."

Another section says, "industrialists were very driven, competitive men who were always on the clock and continually concerned about efficiency," but, "in contrast, Mexican laborers were not reared to put in a full day's work so vigorously. There was a cultural attitude of 'mañana,' or 'tomorrow,' when it came to high-gear production."

Dunbar said the book doesn't promote that image. It was meant to reflect stereotypes that Mexican-Americans had to overcome, she said.

"Personally, I think that every single minority group should have their history told. Being a Native American woman, I know what it is like a lot of times to not have your stories really told," she said. "And the goal of this book was to try to use a lot of original source documents to avoid controversy."

'This is a national issue'

Tony Díaz, host of Nuestra Palabra (Our Word) radio program in Houston and director of intercultural initiatives at Lone Star College-North Harris, said the coalition is concerned that the textbook "is not just a Texas problem; this is a national issue."

Although books listed by the SBOE are not required for school curriculums, Texas is a main player in the textbook business nationwide, and its materials are used as references for acquisitions in the state and around the country.

If "Mexican American Heritage" receives final approval, Diaz said, "schools nationwide would be inadvertently choosing a racist book to teach their students."

Coalition members say Dunbar hijacked the process by using her knowledge of textbook selection to step ahead of true historians, who are working on their own versions. The textbook now being debated is the only one on Mexican-American history ever vetted by the SBOE.